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<font color='#000080'>OK lets start by saying, no sightings of any of our gummed friends :-(
but... What top diving was had by all.
It all started as a bank holiday jaunt but turned into a very extended weekend. We were staying at a static van site with stunning views out to sea with the coastline leading away to the left.
So onto the diving. The first day we started with some nice easy shore diving near the MOD compound at Porthkerris diving. A real nice shore dive that was repeated a number of times during the week. Lots of gullies and multiple dives from the same spot either taking a left around the large outcrop or right. Lots of pipefish, wrasse, anemones, spider crabs and the occasional lobbie.. The obvious lack of fishing really showed and the vis was really kind and ranged from 6m on a poor dive to +10m. Depths from 0m to 20m (13m on a low tide was easily done).
Also a top dive site if there is a bit of a current with the gullies offering great opportunities for being fired through and shot out of the other end
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The night dive was poorly attended by only the maddest, baddest or just downright stupid
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(3 of us in total). But what a great dive, OK so I decided to take the video camera and it was the one time when the waves were crashing in.
Arrived at the site, put a couple of cyalume sticks on posts on the shore as our guiding lights home, briefed the girls who promised to switch the car lights on when they saw our torchs surface. Kitted up PDQ, fins under one arm, video camera held in front, jacket inflated and I slowly backed into the water. All the while Dave and Jase are still kitting up and watching. Suddenly I saw the fear in their eyes and remember the scream "BIG WAVE". My legs proceeded to take the cowards way out and try to throw themselves over my shoulders, all the while I have by all accounts managed to pull off a full twist and roll worthy of a top class goal keeper resulting in me landing arse down and camera safe on top
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What then followed was me being swept in and out still with fins and camera clutched to my chest until the guys had stopped pissing themselves laughing and proceeded to push me out beyond the surf line. So fins on, remains of dignity clawed back and we are off. Vis was a very kind 8m to 10m, pipefish, loads of flounder and some of the biggest baddest spider crabs I have ever seen (They don't give way - you do !!). And finally with 5 minutes to go until our agreed max time, I am busy filming a flounder and the Dave and Jase suddenly go berserk with torch beams flitting around like a jedi on acid. At this point I realised that they had either found something interesting or were both suffering a O2 Tox hit
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It was a large cuttlefish, displaying and flashing for all it was worth. So with a couple of minutes of footage time to call it a night. (Woohooo !!)
RIB Diving,
2 sites were agreed, the Volnay, 22m, very broken up but boilers still in place and plenty of cordite, lead balls and some shells dotted around. Apparently a site usually silted out but we had about 6m. Nice easy dive followed by a top effort in DSMB deployment from 20m from Dave.
Raglan reef.. Wow.. 19m, a collection of submerged pinnicles rising to within 7metres of the surface. This was British scenic diving at it's best. The rocks were absolutly covered (and I mean covered) with Hydroids, soft corals and jewel anemones. Wrasse and Pollock were also to be found. Everywhere I pointed the camera there was something to see.
We are rebooked for a weekend in October and also next May as the diving really was amazing. Thouroughly recommended and Porthkerris divers were a great outfit to rib dive with.
Daz
(Final Tip for staying in static vans - Make sure you soak bread and throw it all over your mates caravans last thing at night. Keeps the seagulls off your roof and apparently sounds like they are doing a ballet at 6am on their roof)
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<font color='#000080'>OK lets start by saying, no sightings of any of our gummed friends :-(
but... What top diving was had by all.
It all started as a bank holiday jaunt but turned into a very extended weekend. We were staying at a static van site with stunning views out to sea with the coastline leading away to the left.
So onto the diving. The first day we started with some nice easy shore diving near the MOD compound at Porthkerris diving. A real nice shore dive that was repeated a number of times during the week. Lots of gullies and multiple dives from the same spot either taking a left around the large outcrop or right. Lots of pipefish, wrasse, anemones, spider crabs and the occasional lobbie.. The obvious lack of fishing really showed and the vis was really kind and ranged from 6m on a poor dive to +10m. Depths from 0m to 20m (13m on a low tide was easily done).
Also a top dive site if there is a bit of a current with the gullies offering great opportunities for being fired through and shot out of the other end
The night dive was poorly attended by only the maddest, baddest or just downright stupid
Arrived at the site, put a couple of cyalume sticks on posts on the shore as our guiding lights home, briefed the girls who promised to switch the car lights on when they saw our torchs surface. Kitted up PDQ, fins under one arm, video camera held in front, jacket inflated and I slowly backed into the water. All the while Dave and Jase are still kitting up and watching. Suddenly I saw the fear in their eyes and remember the scream "BIG WAVE". My legs proceeded to take the cowards way out and try to throw themselves over my shoulders, all the while I have by all accounts managed to pull off a full twist and roll worthy of a top class goal keeper resulting in me landing arse down and camera safe on top
What then followed was me being swept in and out still with fins and camera clutched to my chest until the guys had stopped pissing themselves laughing and proceeded to push me out beyond the surf line. So fins on, remains of dignity clawed back and we are off. Vis was a very kind 8m to 10m, pipefish, loads of flounder and some of the biggest baddest spider crabs I have ever seen (They don't give way - you do !!). And finally with 5 minutes to go until our agreed max time, I am busy filming a flounder and the Dave and Jase suddenly go berserk with torch beams flitting around like a jedi on acid. At this point I realised that they had either found something interesting or were both suffering a O2 Tox hit
It was a large cuttlefish, displaying and flashing for all it was worth. So with a couple of minutes of footage time to call it a night. (Woohooo !!)
RIB Diving,
2 sites were agreed, the Volnay, 22m, very broken up but boilers still in place and plenty of cordite, lead balls and some shells dotted around. Apparently a site usually silted out but we had about 6m. Nice easy dive followed by a top effort in DSMB deployment from 20m from Dave.
Raglan reef.. Wow.. 19m, a collection of submerged pinnicles rising to within 7metres of the surface. This was British scenic diving at it's best. The rocks were absolutly covered (and I mean covered) with Hydroids, soft corals and jewel anemones. Wrasse and Pollock were also to be found. Everywhere I pointed the camera there was something to see.
We are rebooked for a weekend in October and also next May as the diving really was amazing. Thouroughly recommended and Porthkerris divers were a great outfit to rib dive with.
Daz
(Final Tip for staying in static vans - Make sure you soak bread and throw it all over your mates caravans last thing at night. Keeps the seagulls off your roof and apparently sounds like they are doing a ballet at 6am on their roof)
